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Ole Miss believes pass-rush has improved vastly

The Clarion-Ledger
Published 10:00 p.m. CT Aug. 23, 2014

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A healthy Robert Nkemdiche can be pivotal for Ole Miss’ defensive line and pass-rush.(Photo: Bill Barksdale/Specila to The Clarion-Ledger)Buy Photo

OXFORD – Ole Miss had the worst pass-rush in the Southeastern Conference last season.

But now, it believes it has one of the best.

Credit a healthy C.J. Johnson, a year-older Robert Nkemdiche, the now-eligible Fadol Brown and a deep cast of reserves along the defensive line. They have defensive coordinator Dave Wommack confident in the No. 18 Rebels’ ability to get to the quarterback this season, starting Thursday against Boise State (7 p.m., ESPN).

“I truly would be shocked if we don’t,” Wommack said.

Ole Miss got to the quarterback 19 times in 2013, which was tied with Florida for 12th in the SEC. But then consider the number of times the team was thrown on, the Rebels were dead last (one sack per 21.2 pass attempts).

Johnson wasn’t truly healthy and was shut down for the season after a month. Nkemdiche was trying to bull-rush the tackle almost every snap and also missed time with an injury. He was not the only one, which caused Wommack and defensive line coach Chris Kiffin to make do at defensive end with a collection of players who were mostly unproven or converted tackles/linebackers.

Typically, Wommack said he likes to call for pressure (five or more blitzers) between 35 and 40 percent of the time. In 2013, that number was around 27 or 28 percent.

“When you’re moving guys like Bryon Bennett outside and they’re used to playing inside — they hadn’t had any work doing that,” Wommack said. “We were very fortunate to win some games without getting pressure at times. I really don’t want to go through that ever again.”

The one positive from Ole Miss’ conservative approach to play-calling was the team was good against the run (3.92 yards per attempt, third in the SEC). But the total cost was still too great: the Rebels had one combined sack in one-possession losses to Auburn and Texas A&M in the middle of the season, and a better pass-rush may have also made the difference in regular-season ending losses to Missouri and Mississippi State.

When considering the ways that Ole Miss can improve on last season’s 8-5 record, it’s not just about quarterback Bo Wallace’s arm strength but also finding ways to make a capable defense into one that produces more big plays.

“Obviously we haven’t done that in a game, and there are a lot of variables to that,” Kiffin said. “You still have to win first down, be able to put them in passing situations, be able to get into a lead and then a lot of those things come late in games when teams are coming from behind.”

Nkemdiche can be a pivotal force in a resurgence of the team’s pass-rush. Sliding down the line to tackle, Nkemdiche (a first-team all-SEC player by media and coaches) has been close to an unblockable force this training camp.

“The world is going to be really surprised when they see him play on Thursday,” Kiffin said. “I would be shocked if he doesn’t take over the game from a three-technique standpoint, from what a three-technique can do in a game.”

If Nkemdiche can attract multiple blockers, it’s going to help Johnson and freshman Marquis Haynes to get one-on-one matchups on the edge. Nose tackle Issac Gross led the team with 3.5 sacks last season and can push the pocket from inside once he returns from a neck strain injury. And Brown, who sat out last season after transferring from Florida International, is a 280-pound wrecking ball.

“He helps us a lot in collapsing the pocket,” Johnson said. “Instead of always having speed rushers going, because we sometimes leave running lanes for the quarterbacks.”

There’s so many other backups at Kiffin’s disposal (Bennett, Woodrow Hamilton, John Youngblood, Channing Ward and Lavon Hooks) that all three freshmen Ole Miss looked to be headed for redshirts. It’s an advantageous position and is a study in how to turn a weakness into a strength.